Which of These Three Places Holds Osama bin Laden?

An essay in the MIT International Review uses biogeographic theories and satellite imagery to posit most likely hiding place of Osama bin Laden. And they make a pretty compelling case that he's probably hanging out in one of three places in the Pakistani city of Parrachinar. The methodology is ingenious, and the paper is an easy, short read (and it has satellite photos of the region and buildings in question). Check it out!

Personally, I think Osama is mouldering in a cave in Tora Bora, but if I had to bet on one of these I'd go with the one in the middle.

h/t to Seerov and Dan the Man.

Conclusive Proof That God Has a Sense of Humor

On Friday the 13th, Congress passes a bill letting Americans keep thirteen dollars a week of their own money (while taking many times that out of future generations' wallets), and some black cat is going to sign it into law next week.

Will you be needing any further evidence that Washington is not the answer to your problems?

Stay tuned...

The Recovery Begins

2008 was a very humbling experience for me - and I'm guessing I wasn't alone in that experience. I lost pretty much everything, except what's most important (see About page picture). But I also gained some very valuable things, too. I didn't get any government bailouts. But I did get unexpected, unselfish help during my darkest hours. And through that I foresaw the way out of our global troubles. I've been organizing my thoughts and will publish them soon. I believe that the worst is past, and opportunity is nigh.

Thanks for sticking around...

I've Got The Obama Thing Figured Out

I'm starting to think that Obama is a cybernetic organism sent from the future by President George PDQ Bach to destroy The One - Hillary Clinton!

Barack Obama EvilWatch

Looks like the $600 Million mannequin will be the next President of the United States. To me that's a travesty, because he is about to do some truly evil things. Don't believe me? Then watch the following:

1) Freedom of Choice Act: This legislation will nullify any limit on abortion. It will also force federal funding of abortion and force Catholic healthcare providers to perform abortions. It it estimated that this act will result in 125,000 murders per year. And even if you are repulsed by these acts, you will be forced to pay for them.

2) Card Check: Secret ballots in union elections will be a thing of the past. Under President Obama's plan, burly union thugs can show up at your door and 'persuade' you to sign a card supporting unionization. Hey, it'll mean less legitimate jobs (look at the employment statistics for the upper midwest since 1950) and more illegal immigration as employers dodge the thugs, but I'm sure that's what Obama voters were after in the first place.

3) Illinois Corruption Probe: Imagine that Elliot Ness is mid-way through his clean-up of Mafia corruption in the Windy City when President Roosevelt wins and goes on TV to let him know his services are no longer needed.

This is the real litmus test of whether Barack Obama is a truly historic figure in American History, or a sad little Chicago Machine sock puppet. And I mean every word of that last sentence. Patrick Fitzgerald, the federal prosecutor in Chicago, has been meticulously dismantling the corrupt bipartisan political machine in Illinois. He has taken down both crooked Republicans and Democrats. He has followed the trail of corruption right into Daley Plaza, and is about to clean house. But Barack owes much to the crooked Chicago Machine, and to the local mafiosi. He's said he supports keeping Fitzgerald in place, but if he removes Fitzgerald he will prove he is nothing more than a useful idiot of his Chicago 'handlers'.

Any one of these things is a truly evil act. Two are a clear demonstration of contempt for the electorate. Three are evidence of Chavez-esque megalomania.

And that's a line you only get to cross once, and don't get to step back over.

Barack Obama has made a living receiving favors from political and media machines, and now Rumpelstiltsdaley & company are coming to collect. How will President Obama respond?

I pray I'm wrong.

My Economic Stimulus Package - How to Increase Top Line Revenue

Over at MikeDewitt.net, I reveal my economic stimulus package:

"My fellow Americans, Recently many people have expressed a desire for an effective economic stimulus package to help us through these uncertain economic times. Having seen the ineffectual response of the minions of the Great Teat of the Potomac, I feel compelled to offer my own economic stimulus package. The beauty of my program is that it will help organizations large and small, whether they sell products or services, to increase their revenues over the short and long haul. And the best part is that you can begin participating in the plan right now by watching this short introductory video:"

Check it out!

Parable of the Day Laborers

A short time ago, the Gospel at Mass was the Parable of the Day Laborers:

“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.

“At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.

“At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’

“They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’

“The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’

“That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. 11 When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

“He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’

“So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

As I listened to the Gospel, two thoughts struck me:

1. If our reward for living a Christian life is the infinite reward of eternity in heaven, how do you give latecomers a fraction of what the original laborers received? INFINITE IS INFINITE. What is half of an infinite amount? Yes, an infinite amount!. What is one quarter of an infinite amount? An infinite amount! How much is one one-hundredth of an infinite amount? One one-billionth of an infinite amount? Yes, our reward no matter how divided is still infinite!
2. The first laborers spent the entire day certain of their reward. They agreed to a fair wage and knew what they would get at sundown. But the same cannot be said of those who were hired later. How much of the day did they spend worrying about how they would feed their family that night? Having collected my first unemployment check this year, I can tell you that time spent not working and wondering how you will feed your family is no vacation. (And there is no more depressing thing than being told "we won't hire you because you're overqualified", Thankfully, God does not follow HR "best practices".).

The parable was designed to demonstrate God's infinite love and power to an agrarian audience, but it rings just as true today. Perhaps we shouldn't worry so much about the election or our struggles in daily life, because we know that at the end of the day all who toil in this vineyard will receive our infinite reward.